PEPE REINA believes critics have been wrong to point the finger at Fernando Torres – and should instead be blaming the rest of the Liverpool team for the striker’s goal drought.

‘El Nino’ ended a run of seven games without a goal by netting the winner in the 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers on Sunday.

It was only the Spaniard’s second strike of a season in which he has struggled for form with Liverpool flailing at the wrong end of the Premier League table.

Roy Hodgson admits Torres was suffering a hangover from criticism received during his goalless World Cup, but is confident the smile has returned on the forward’s face following his best display under his tenure at the weekend.

Reina (inset) has also backed his compatriot while accepting he has not been given sufficient service from his colleagues

And likened his situation to the one suffered by fellow Spain international David Villa, who has scored just twice

since moving to Barcelona in the summer.

“All the strikers are about the goals,” said Reina. “They want to score them and they want to score the winners like Fernando did against Blackburn. I think he can build up now to what he was like of old.

“What has happened to him is more or less what has happened to Villa in Barcelona.

“They are both great players but when strikers are not scoring people are always disappointed in them.

“It’s not fair. I don’t think we have been assisting him like we should, particularly in the last few weeks. He has not been able to do anything at all.

“We know he is the type of player that can win a game just like that but we can’t expect him to keep doing it on his own. We have to feed him in. That’s the point.”

Liverpool’s win was their first in eight games and, although it was not enough to move them out of the bottom three, means they are only three points behind seventh-placed Sunderland in a congested Premier League table.

It was the first game at Anfield since New England Sports Ventures ousted Tom Hicks and George Gillett with a £300m takeover of the club.

And Reina believes the group’s success in the United States with baseball team Boston Red Sox augurs well for Liverpool’s future.

“It was an important step,” said the goalkeeper of the takeover saga finally ending. “It has been a great moment for the club, an important step forward.

“Let’s see if we can build up from now and maybe they can help us a little bit in the winter transfer window. They are very committed to the club now.

“What I understand is they have been doing really good stuff in Boston and let’s be optimistic now.

“Have I spoken at length to them? No. It was just a brief chat, like the rest of the team. We have just been keeping focused on what we are doing, it has been a tough situation.”